Germany: Zoo Osnabrück Modernizes Ape House

Having welcomed 1,015,000 guests last year, Zoo Osnabrück is one of the most visited zoos in Germany. In recent years, the zoo opened its Asia-themed “Angkor Wat” area, which includes a temple occupied by apes as well as a tiger temple garden (cf. EAP, issue 5/2014). By summer this year, Zoo Osnabrück intends to further upgrade the area by modernizing its ape house. Thus, the enclosure’s inhabitants, two orangutans and four gibbons, will benefit from an expanded home that will equally be designed as an Asian temple ruin. The investment volume for the conversion amounts to 1.4 million euros. Zoo Osnabrück generated 500,000 euros by a fundraising campaign called “Wir für Buschi”. As of fall this year, the expanded ape house will be home to two further orangutans.

As the animals are not relocated during the reconstruction works, the conversion is carried out in four phases. “We are making progresses: The first construction phase including a combinable summer and winter area has already been completed. We have already started the interior works here, which provide the design as a temple ruin,” explains Zoo Osnabrück's inspector Hans-Jürgen Schröder. In the course of the second construction phase, the Scholle construction company is currently placing new walls at the front part of the outdoor area. Afterwards, the design works will be carried out here and the company will start with the third construction phase, the centrally located outdoor enclosure. Finally, the indoor area’s roof will be modernized and a glass dome integrated. Upon completion of the conversion and expansion works, the outdoor area will comprise 358 square meters at a height of six meters. The indoor area will be enlarged to 234 square meters. (eap)